The Trust Central Team is responsible for the day to day running of the Trust, managing key functions including Finance, Facilities Management, IT and Data Protection. The Team plays a key role in delivering the strategic vision set by the Trust Board of Directors.
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Kate Davies - Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kate was appointed ‘CEO’ in July 2019. She has worked across all phases in education, serving as a head teacher for 15 years and working as a ‘National Leader of Education’. |
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David Fitzgibbons - Trust Building Surveyor David was appointed ‘Trust Building Surveyor’ in June 2017, having previously worked as a consultant for a private sector building consultancy company. David has a proven track record in managing large scale building projects and has over 15 years of experience working in the education sector. |
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Andy Blatch - ICT Infrastructure and Innovation Lead Andy joined the team in November 2019, having previously worked for a large IT managed service provider for over 17 years and has experience delivering and supporting IT systems across a wide range of educational establishments. |
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Beth Deakin - Trust SEMH Head Beth joined the Trust in September 22 as Trust SEMH Lead. She has worked across all phases in education, including leading inclusion within Primary and Secondary settings as well as teaching in a specialist alternative provision for children with social, emotional and mental health needs. Beth is passionate about ensuring that children and adults have positive mental wellbeing. She is founder and chair of a grassroots community group which promotes and supports mental health and wellbeing as well as volunteering for other charitable organisations. |
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Tracey Gammons - Governance & Policy Lead Tracey joined the Trust in September 2022 as Governance & Policy Lead. Originally from a financial services background, Tracey also has 10 years Governance experience within various school settings and Multi Academy Trusts. |
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Emily Manning - HR Advisor Emily brings a wealth of experience to the team. With over a decade of working as a HR generalist, she has a solid foundation in managing all stages of the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, employee relations and performance management. Emily's commitment to professional development is evident in her pursuit of a master's degree in international human resource management. |
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Laura White - Finance Officer Laura has nine years experience in education administration, working in both Local Authority and Academy secondary schools. Formerly office manager at Anston Park Junior School, she joined the central team in September to support the wider trust.
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Sylvia Underwood - Trust Office Manager TBC
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Joy Warren - Payroll Officer Joy has 15 years experience working in both Local Authority and Academy schools, where she held key roles in administration, finance, and as a School Office Manager. In September 2025, Joy took on a new challenge by joining the central team as a Payroll Officer, bringing her expertise to support staff across the Trust.
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John Dean - Chief Operating Officer (COO) John joined WWPAT as ‘COO’ in May 2024. He has worked across all phases of education focusing on School and Trust Operations. John has over 20 years’ experience of working in education and has had wide ranging roles and responsibilities with a focus on Operations and People Management. |
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David Taylor - Executive Leader Dave is an experienced system leader. His leadership work has been recognised at a national level through OFSTED, The DFE English Hubs Programme and Chartered College of Teaching. |
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Nikki O'Loughlin - School Performance Partner TBA |
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Diane Sanderson - Trust Finance Manager We welcomed Diane to our Trust Central Team in September 2024 as our new Finance Manager. Diane has a wealth of experience, with over 25 years as a School Business Manager. Her expertise lies in budgetary planning, financial analysis, and overall financial management for schools, gained through working with various institutions both within and outside of our Trust. |
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Mark Young - Trust Facilities Officer Mark has a maintenance background in the Rail Industry. He was appointed as 'Site Manager' at Kilnhurst Primary School in 2014 and completed qualifications in electrical installation and site management. Mark works closely with our 'Trust Building Surveyor', Dave Fitzgibbons, overseeing our 16 schools and supporting our premises team in ensuring our buildings are fit for purpose and provide a stimulating environment to enable all children across our Trust to thrive. |
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Amy Hinchliffe - Executive Assistant Amy joined the team in April 2021 as Executive Assistant to CEO. She has experience of working within a large Academy Trust central team providing executive support, managing the induction process for Newly Qualified Teachers and co-ordinating professional development programmes/events - which is a real passion of hers. She has recently completed a Level 5 diploma in Leadership & Management. |
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Liz Kenny MBE - English Hub Lead Liz is the English Hub lead and is based on site at Whiston Worrygoose Junior & Infant School. Liz has a strong track record of leading literacy across all primary phases and heads the team of literacy specialists, who work across the region, alongside her role as a DfE accredited Letters and Sounds trainer. |
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Laura Ingram - Management Accountant Laura Joined the central team in 2025 as a management accountant.
Laura joined us from one of our schools where she has been working for the last 10 years as a business manager. With 9 years experience in Education finance and 6 years experience in retail finance she brings a lot of knowledge to our team. Laura will be responsible for budget monitoring and the general financial management of schools.
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